Fruit-treating apparatus



Aug., 7, i928.

E. M. BROGDEN FRUIT TREATNG ATPPARTUS Filed NOV. 25, i921,

Patenmel i?, p

ERNEST ianacenrnmorwrn'rna nAvnN, encarna, nssreu'oit 'To mencionar cerrrAuY, or winrar HAVEN, rLonIDA, A controlan-iron ou anonima.

.application led November 26, 1921; serialy No. 518,033.

. This inventionv relates to fruit treating apy paratus; and it relates lmore particularly to apparatus for preparing for market` iresh.A

fruit that isnatually of 'such perishable character as to require ,special treatment in order to ensure its reaching the consumer-in sound and readily salable. conditicn. vThe apparatus ofthe invention is especially useful for the treatment of oranges, grapefruit, to andy other citrus fruits which, as is well known, must be handled, packed and shipped with'great careif they are to reach the con- -sumer in good condition; and accordingly, in explaining the principles of the invention,l ia reference will be made, for the sake ot a -'concrete illustrative example, to vnovel api paratus that has proved successful in treating citrus fruit on a large scale.

l have discoveredthat by properly applyeo ing to citrus fruit' a mixture of a sealing and waterproofing material, such as paraffin', with a liquid vehicle, such as gasolene, the y fruit may b e provided witha very thin but continuous coating that protects it against as rotting, prevents it from withering, and in general maintains its original appearance, soundness, freshness and iavor. The ap' paratus of the present invention enables this treatment to be carried out in asimple, au economical and eiiective manner. Broadly speaking, the novel apparatus comprises 'means of brushingV or otherwise rubbing the surface of the `iruit,`in combination with cooperat- 35 ing means for supplying a spreadable 'protective material such, for example, as a coating composition of the character .described in such manner that it maybeuniormly dis.

tributed by the' brushing or rubbing means v4g 4in properquantity as aA relatively thin coating or, film of the proper character over the fruit. Within thebroad scope of theinvention, various types of apparatus can be constructed to carr lout the described treatment a5 `or haiidlimg ot fruit. Some constructions involve only slight change in or addition t0 existing apparatus which was, however, in-

`tively slight alteration to form that has not only been found to work satisfactorily in. actual practice, but that has the further advantage ,of utilizing standard fruit handlinemachinery with only relaconfer` upon it the novel capability here in question. typical embodiment is illustrated in the accompanying'drawings wherein Fig.. 1 is aside elevation, partly broken away and in section, of one form the apparatus may take; and'- Fig. 2 is a top plan view of Jhe same.

In'the embodiment of the invention illus-v trated in thel drawings, 10 designates generally a fruit brushing or polishing device or machine of any suitable character, the particular device or mechanism here shown beingwhat is known inthe fruit-packing industry' as the Stebler-Parker type of fruit polisher. At ll'is indicated` generallyl a iruit dryer of a type commonly preceding the polisher inthe series of machines constitutingv a 'usual type of packing houseinstallation.

According to the practice prevailing prior to .my invention, oranges or other citrus fruit, previously washed' in water, and then dried, in the dryer, passed without other aoV treatment directly .to the polisher, from which they were discharged to the usual lgrading and sizing machinery.

some description -or ln the pract'ce of my invention 'lt provide means for supplyinga non-solid or semi-Huid coating' material, such asa suityablemixture of paraffin and gasolene, to the fruit to'be' polished, so that'the brushes or rolls ofthe polisher can act to spread the coating material over the fruit in proper` quantity as it. passes over them. Broadly speaking, the means for sov supplying the Specified coating material mayl take any form suitable for the particular purposes in view.

"In the present example, a strip l2 of yieldcapable oi' functioning in accordance with 55 which said principles'are incorporated in a ing material, preferably absorptive, such as a heavy woven, fabric, constitutes such means, said jlstrip being suitably secured in place on the sloping chute, board 13 that coversl the driving gears 14 for theinclined polisher rolls lo' and provides a bridge over which the fruit F, after being discharged romen`dless conveyor 16, rolls on its way from the dryer to the polisher. rlhe conveyor and chute board thus cooperate in feeding or delivering fruit to said rolls. ln-employingthe apparatus, a mass of the iio - polislier, so

' at about 135 R. l). M.

' y brushes. The desirability specified coating material is from. time to time placed upon the strip l2 by hand or in any other convenient manner and is spread over said strip which thus holds the ina-f' Y vide the proper cestino is removed by the 15.

action of the brushes.

ln order to ensure turning' the' orange over andover .in all directions as it goes 'through the polislier, and thus obtaining thorough and uniform distribution of the coating1 material over the fruit, l provide means arranged to i upper surface of travels along the cause it to turn as the fruit rictionally as it polishing rolls, andy thus specified. In the case of the polisherhere illustrated, the parallel rolls 15, all rotate in the same general direction indicated in Fig. 2 by the arrow extending transversely of the polisher. By providing 'blanket 17, or the like, secured along' one edgeto the side member 18 of the that it overlies a substantial portionot the polisher roll-s, the rotation of 'the rolls, tending to move the blanket in the direction of the arrow, lreeps the blanket spread across the rolls and Iupon the fruit moving along on the rolls and underneath the blanket. rthis provides the rictional or braking action on 'the upper side of theruit requisite to bring about rolling of the fruit transversely as wellas longitudinally of the polisher, which results in thedesired -thorough spreading of the coatingmaterial by the brushing' or rubbingY action of the rolls and blanket combined.

The inclination of the polisher rolls toward theV point of discharge may be halt an inch to an 'inch per foot to len 1th; and accordingly they may -be said to be horizontal plane. .ln order to secure the best coating eitlieet, it is necessary to properly regulate the surface speed of the rolls. Using, `tor instance, a semi-fluidA or pa'sty mixture consisting of about 60 parts of parailin and d() parts of gasolene, by volume, and employing polishing rolls .having a diameter of 8 inches, the rolls should be` run .At this speed a Athin continuous parallin coating of tho proper character is obtained on Athe fruit, any eacess coating material being removed by the of maintaining this optimum surface speed of the polisher rolls sometimes necessitates altering the gear substantially .ing and polishing means..

yieldingly engage the in an approximately.

.protective material to fruit vto insonne ratio at which the rollsy werel driven v"when the -poiisher was used in the vvayit was originallyintended to operate.V

1il/hat l claim is; y l. Fruit treating apparatus comprising the. conibination, with fruit brushing or pol- Aishing means, and means for feeding fruit thereto,l of yielding means for supplying a seinitluid or' pasty composition to the fruit as it is being ted to said brush- 2. Fruit trentino a' aratus coin risin y the combination, with parallel inclined truite polishing rolls, or nieansf for 'feeding fruit to said rolls near ltheir upper ends, and-coinpositionnpplying means arranged in theaath ot' travel of the fruit and disposed be- .tvveen such `feeding means and said rolls,

said fruit being compelled to roll across said compositiomapplyiiig means on its way to saidV rolls.

3. Fruit treating apparatus as set forth in claim 2, wherein said composition-applying means comprises a strip of textile material.

Fruit treating apparatus comprising the combination, with a fruit polisher and a dryer discharging thereto, of. means interposed between said `5. Fruit treating apparatus comprising the combination, A lel closely adjacent poiishing' rolls rotating' in the'same direction on their respective lon:

gitudinal axes, which aires are substantially' plane,

, g means arranged to deliver `fruit tofsaid rolls between their upper snrface and said yielding inea-ns, and material holding means adj acentsaid rolls for supplying protective materialA to fruit near where it is delivered tosaid rolls. i y

6. Fruit treating apparatus as set forth in claim 5, wherein said rolls are inclined toward a point of discharge, and said yielding meansis constituted by a blanket-like device. 7. Apparatus for. applying protectiveinaterial to fruit which comprises the combination, with cooperating inclined parallel rotary 'brush rolls, vof means for supplying by said rolls, and yielding means superimposed upon said brush `rolls to `trictionally engage fruit treated thereby. l I

8. Apparatus as set forth in claimI 7, wherein said yielding blanket-like member.

dryer and polisher for v applying to the fruit a coatingcoinposition.

with a plurality of paral- ,I

llU

be treated means comprises a In testimony whereof hereunto aitix my i signature. 

